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Building
See also: Building Tools for general info about all building tools or the Building Guides and Tutorials. Building is the most robust aspect of Landmark. You can build anything you imagine using powerful building tools and populate those structures with special elements that tell visitors a "story" of sorts or provide enemies for them to battle. *This page is primarily an overview of several topics to introduce features and ideas related to this vast topic. :*Within each section, at the end of the topic overviews and summaries, you will find links to pages with more detailed info. *You will find some sections that offer general building advice to new players as well. Your First Day The first time a player logs in they start on a Pioneer Landscape. This special landscape is intended to help players learn the basics of working with placing designs. A design is essentially a saved version of something that was previously built. *When you start, you have a set of castle-themed designs (created by Daybreak) to work with, but you can also create your own, buy designs, or find swaps at which players freely share their designs. While you are on the Pioneer Landscape, you will be prompted to complete some special Goals that teach you the basics of building. *All players have access to infinite, free-to-use resources to experiment with, but you need to gather all advanced of the resources used for advanced and refined textures and finishes. *All players automatically start with all of the building tools they need and the tools are all accessed from the mega-palette while in Build Mode. :See 'Pioneer Landscape' to learn more. Building Tools Overview As soon as you start, you can click the Tools icon in the upper right corner of the screen or press Tab on your keyboard to toggle to Build Mode. Build Mode is a collection of highly specialized User Interface (UI) windows that makes it easy for players to shift to one activity, while keeping screen clutter at a minimum. *Add Tool - a tool that allows you to add building materials to your build sites. *Delete Tool - a tool to remove materials that were there before you placed the site and anything you added previously *Selection Tool - a way to limit the area you are working with to do things like fill a large area, paint the surface and so on. *Paint Tool - allow players to quickly change the textures (and resources) on a site. *Smooth Tool - used to blend the edges of blocks or adjoining textures *Fill Tool - similar to the add tool, it fills in only "missing" spaces while building. *Heal Tool - returns the area it is used on to it's state when nothing was built in a space. *Area Tool - allows players to set a specific area to work with the Linking and Triggering system (including some props) and various Story Tools :See the 'Building Tools' for a more detailed summary of many tools and all terminology related to building tools. Materials Overview The options for building materials is broad and ranges from common dirt, sand, stone, snow and ice to mined resources like metal, common stone (e.g. marble), and gems. Wood comes in a variety of textures and colors as well. Players can combine two or more refined resources to make composites that nearly double to texture options. All players have access to some infinite, "free" materials, but for a broadened selections players can: *Gather resources (mining, logging trees, etc.) *"Buy" them using from the Lumen Station *Loot them by hunting monsters, chests and more in the Chaos Caverns. *Combining any of the above to make the various composite resources. Though the above come from numerous sources, they are still commonly referred to as gathered as a group, because players have to actively plan to gather them either by the act of gathering with tools or by any of the other means listed above. About Free-to-Use Materials All players have access to a collection of textures that act as free-to-use building materials. The vast majority of these mimic the natural terrain textures seen in all of the world's biomes. A small selection of slate (stone slab) textures and two masonry textures are included too. As of 2016 the free-to-use options number over 120. *You can build as long as you want and as grand as you choose, using these resources without ever leaving to gather more, but leaving to gather will open up access to numerous textures well beyond the limits of the free-to-use options. :See the 'Free-to-Use Building Materials' to learn more about those textures and see more examples. About Gathered Materials No matter how you obtain them, the majority of building materials of this type must first be refined at a Replicator. After you start to gather materials, you will be able to build not only with those textures, but with a wide variety of composite resources as well. Examples of gathered and composite textures are so varied, they are impossible to count, but they include various metals, gems, uncommon stone, wood, synthetic materials, and even some of the common materials (dirt, sand, common stone, etc.) :See the 'Building Materials' to learn more about the broad types of materials used to build. Props, Story Tools and More Not only can players build structures, they have access to props that can be placed with the Prop Palette. :Obtaining Props: #Innate Items - many props are innate and will show in the Prop Palette as soon as you create a character. #Some props are non-innate. They must be discovered as recipes or unlocked using the Lumen Station. Keep in mind that recipe is a misnomer, as props are not crafted. Props are tied to the building system and they allow players to both add details to their build sites that go beyond the limits of the building tools. Unlike other games though, Landmark has a collection of props that add special effects like blazing fires or waterfalls, creatures to battle, and a variety of actions that can occur with the aid of Story Tools. Linking and Triggering is a system that players can use to 'marry' all props that have actions (doors, creatures, etc) with their build sites, by designating an areas that trigger an action on the build site. :See the 'Prop' page for an expanding description of how props differ. Before you Start Building The best way to learn to build is to start building. In other words: *'Relax, experiment, have fun -' Don't worry too much about building a masterpiece, because even the best builders start by placing a block or two, using the delete tool, and so on. Understanding how the tools behave is the first step in a journey of discovery that awaits. Have fun! The moment you get frustrated, try another activity in or outside of the game. *'You won't break anything! -'''The game has many features built into the building tools and controls (keyboard shortcuts) that make undoing and/or redoing steps in the experimentation process easy once you get the hang of it and ''that makes trying something new fast and painless. Designs can be saved, altered, and placed later which gives you extraordinary freedom to test a new technique at any time. *'Look for tutorials that suit your learning style -' After you've had some time to experiment, each person's way of learning may be different. Some do well by reading guides, while others watch videos, some may learn a little from both methods. Some may learn from disassembling another player's complex design, while others tweak a little here and there in the own builds to advance their skills. :*Often if you can't follow one tutorial, playing within the game for awhile and rereading/rewatching portions of tutorials in smaller segments may help. If one tutorial doesn't teach you a technique, try another; sometimes one expert player may word something in a way that "clicks" better. *'The community is helpful -' If you're lost and confused, head to the official forums and ask for help. The community loves seeing success in each other. Advice Experimentation In addition to the power of the building tools, Landmark has many advantages that makes experimentation possible for all players. Experiment First, Build Your Dream Later If you've seen videos and pictures of buildings before playing or if you've explored and come across some of the incredible structures other players have built, you may want to start building you dream structure right away. Expecting yourself to be an instant expert can be disheartening for some players though; the tools in Landmark are quite powerful - so powerful the players in Alpha discovered many techniques that the development team didn't think were possible. Just remember that even the most expert builders started out will an awkward mess of blocks, oddly shaped spheres, and poorly shaped arches. Tinker and you'll be surprised what you can achieve over time. 'Why Experimenting is Easy' Some examples of how this can be done include: *Undo "mistakes" up to 20 steps back using CTRL + Z. You can use CTRL + Y to redo anything you've undone. *The freedom to copy/paste things you're building by using the Selection Tool combined with and CTRL + C to copy, followed by CTRL + V to paste. For example, you might want to see what happens when you use the Smooth Tool on a tower. You can copy and paste it several times and test different techniques. *You can save parts of what you build (or entire build sites) using the Designs feature; it's like a library of things you've made, similar to a file folder filled with pictures you've taken with a camera over the years. You can simply enclose all or part of what you've built, press L to open your template library and save it for later. :*This allows you to save multiple versions of one thing you want to make (like stairs) and continue experimenting without worry; if you hate the changes you've made, just pull out the previous version later. *Designs also save you time, freeing you to experiment more, since you don't have to build complex portions of your structure over and over. Need a tower on the left side after you have one on the right finished? Use the Selection Tool to enclose it, press CTRL + C to Copy it and hit CTRL + V to paste it right away or save it in your templates, go to bed, and come back and place it the next day. :See the page on 'Designs' to learn more about saving and using designs to experiment. 'Master the Selection Tool First' While all of the building tools are extremely useful, by far the one you will find yourself using most is the Selection Tool. The first time you place a build site in the world, it can be very difficult to comprehend just how huge a single build site is. Not only can you build on the surface, you can build underground too. For this reason, it's wise to remove all of the natural land on your site. If you do not log out, you can use CTRL + Z to undo the removal or you can simply pick the site up and place it again. Trying this is a great way to get used to using the selection tool, the delete tool and you'll better understand the space you can create in. Choose Materials Wisely 'Build with Common or Terrain Materials' Why? Not only do most of the terrain textures qualify as free-to-use building materials, which means you have an endless supply, the Common Materials are the most plentiful material in Landmark (e.g. you get them each time you mine). Stucco is tucked in with dirt in your Materials Tray, and it comes in a basic white. White is one of the easiest materials to use so you can spot flaws in your building, especially when using the Smooth Tool. 'Save your designs as Terrain Materials' Why? Again, it's plentiful, but you can use the paint tool to change it to any other material you've gathered (if you have enough). Innovation 'Make and Embrace "Mistakes"' Like all great art, some of the greatest innovations are a matter "happy accidents". Experimenting often leads to "ah-ha" moments when you may be the one to pioneer a new technique or suddenly grasp techniques you've wanted to master. You'll find that the more you experiment, the better you will understand how the building tools, materials, and the voxels that make up the world work. 'Make a Mess' The video linked in this section refers to some outdated features and terminology, but may still be useful for those uncertain about selecting a build site. You can see how easy it is to build site in a 14 min. video and how easy it is to delete a site and start over in this 5 and half minute video about deleting a site. 'Call on the Community' Unlike many other games Landmark has a very tight community that loves helping each other. Make contact with other players, ask for advise and share with others what you have learned. 'Find Swaps' You may see posts about "swaps" or "template swaps" on the forum or if you search the Gallery find many listed to visit. *Swaps are build sites other players have devoted to the community to allow people to share things they've made and let others copy them. Swaps can be a great way to learn building techniques, especially if you can find a Voxel Board to experiment with. :*For example, if you pick up (copy) a Designs at a swap, you can take it back to your site later and delete bits and pieces to help you understand how the voxels react. :*Of course, swaps can also save you time. If you like a roof someone else has donated to the swap, you can create a template and use it in your build, freeing you to master other techniques. *Most swaps are open on specific days or by invite only. When you spot a swap (most owners post signs on their sites, frequently with the word "templates") you can always place your mouse at the top of your screen while you are at the build site and send feedback to the owner, asking when and how you can copy templates. :See the 'Swaps' page for more details. Suggested Reading *Build Sites - which describes how one chooses a loction to beging building when they are ready to leave the Pioneer Landscape. *Building Tools - to familiarize yourself with the individual tools. *Build Mode - to understand all of the User Interface elements used to build. *Designs - to learn how to save what you build. *Voxel Board - to learn about a special kind of pre-made designs that can help you learn to build. Category:Building Category:Content